evacuate

verb evac·u·ate \ i-ˈva-kyə-ˌwāt , -kyü-ˌāt \

Definition of evacuate

evacuated; evacuating

transitive verb

1 : to remove the contents of : empty

2 : to discharge from the body as waste : void

3 : to remove something (such as gas or water) from especially by pumping

4 a : to remove especially from a military zone or dangerous area

b : to withdraw from military occupation of

c : vacate 1

were ordered to evacuate the building

intransitive verb

1 : to withdraw from a place in an organized way especially for protection

2 : to pass urine or feces from the body

—

evacuative

play \i-ˈva-kyə-ˌwā-tiv, -kyü-ˌā-\ adjective

See evacuate defined for English-language learners

See evacuate defined for kids

Examples of evacuate in a Sentence

People who live along the coast are being evacuated as the hurricane approaches.
During World War II, children were evacuated from London to the country.
Residents were ordered to evacuate the building.
Residents have been ordered to evacuate.

Recent Examples of evacuate from the Web

His mother, father and brother evacuated to stay with an aunt who lives in another part of the city that wasn't affected.

— michael osipoff, Post-Tribune, "Valparaiso's hurricane relief game hits home for Houston's Joe Burton," 3 Nov. 2017
Pripyat, a town of nearly 50,000 residents hastily evacuated following the accident, is the most surreal stop of the tours, and the most Instagrammed.

— cynthia drescher, Condé Nast Traveler, "What It’s Actually Like to Visit Chernobyl," 30 Oct. 2017
Grandview firefighters evacuated 46 people from the area, and authorities closed the 140th Street bridge, along with West Outer Road at 138th Street.

— tony rizzo and toriano porter, kansascity, "Owner, second man indicted in January explosion that destroyed Grandview business," 22 Sep. 2017
Hurricane Irma caused hundreds of Floridians to evacuate to Alabama, leaving most of their lives back in the Sunshine State.

— ivana hrynkiw, AL.com, "Baby born to Florida evacuees at same Birmingham hospital as relatives," 15 Sep. 2017
Update: Mar-a-Lago has been ordered to evacuate due to Hurricane Irma as of 10 a.m. on Friday.

— sam dangremond, Town & Country, "A History of Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's American Castle," 8 Sep. 2017
With Hurricane Irma heading straight for Florida, the Sunshine State's residents are currently being forced to choose between weathering the storm or evacuating to a safer area before the Category 4 hurricane hits the U.S. this weekend.

— andrea park, Teen Vogue, "Hurricane Irma–Themed Cakes Divide Internet," 8 Sep. 2017
Johnson Elementary students evacuated after someone called the school around 7:15 a.m., said Karen Tucker, Director of Technology and Public Relations for Limestone County Schools.

— ashley remkus, AL.com, "Johnson Elementary students return to class after threat prompts evacuation, search of school," 31 Oct. 2017
In addition to caring for the animals on site, the small team has also been evacuating droves more that are in danger.

— jessica mattern, Country Living, "These High Schoolers Are Caring for Hundreds of Animals Displaced by the Napa Wildfires," 13 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'evacuate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.